The Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reinforcing a shared commitment to building a strong, culturally safe and sustainable financial counselling and financial capability workforce across Australia.
The MoU aligns ICAN’s workforce development partnerships with FCA’s Strategic Plan 2024–28, the National Workforce Strategy (2025–30) and FCA’s Reconciliation Action Plan, with a clear focus on growing and supporting the First Nations workforce nationally.
Growing and supporting the First Nations workforce
At the centre of the agreement is a shared objective to grow the First Nations workforce and strengthen career pathways for First Nations financial counsellors and financial capability workers. While First Nations workers currently represent around 6 per cent of the workforce, both organisations recognise the responsibility to expand this representation, for services to better reflect and respond to the communities they serve.
Under the MoU, FCA recognises ICAN’s expertise in training First Nations workers, including ICAN’s delivery of the Financial Literacy Skill Set and Certificate III and IV qualifications in Community Services with a financial capability focus. FCA will promote ICAN scholarship opportunities through its national networks, while ICAN will keep FCA informed of scholarship availability and workforce outcomes.
ICAN CEO Aaron Davis said the agreement recognises the critical role First Nations organisations play in strengthening the sector.
“This MoU reflects a shared understanding that workforce development must be led by community knowledge and experience. ICAN brings deep expertise in building First Nations career pathways, and partnering with FCA allows us to amplify that work nationally while ensuring training and professional development remain grounded in culture, community and lived experience.”
Strengthening professional development and career pathways
The MoU also commits both organisations to supporting the development and advancement of First Nations workers through culturally informed professional development, mentoring and peer networks. This includes collaboration through FCA’s Mob Talk network and the sharing of education and professional development opportunities across the sector.
FCA CEO Dr Domenique Meyrick said the partnership is an important step in embedding workforce development into FCA’s national leadership role.
“Building a strong, diverse and culturally safe workforce is essential to ensuring people across Australia can access quality financial counselling and capability support. This MoU with ICAN strengthens our ability to support First Nations workers, recognise their leadership, and ensure the sector continues to learn from community-led approaches.”
The agreement also prioritises increasing the cultural responsiveness and safety of financial counselling and capability services, ensuring the workforce is equipped to support communities experiencing structural discrimination and systemic disadvantage.
Keeping the partnership active
To ensure the MoU remains practical and responsive, ICAN and FCA have committed to regular CEO-level and senior staff meetings, ongoing communication, and shared updates through sector newsletters and communities of practice. The agreement is intended to remain active and evolve as workforce needs change.
Signed in December 2025, the MoU formalises a partnership grounded in shared values, mutual respect and a clear vision: a financial counselling and capability workforce that is stronger, more diverse and better equipped to support First Nations communities across Australia.
FCA’s Strategy, Action Plan and Summary pages are linked below.
National Workforce Strategy 2026-30
How the Strategy helps different parts of the sector
At a glance: Strategy priorities with headline early actions